Don't Look Back
by EP87
Summary: Tyanna has a deep secret that has only been shared with her best friend. A new job brings back the past in full force. Will the walls she has worked hard to build begin to crumble? Or will she be able to enforce those walls and learn to overcome her past?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**  
  
"He's not in here!" She sat bolt upright in bed as the sound of her own voice rang through her head. She kept telling herself that one night, she would have a peaceful nights sleep, but apparently that wasn't tonight. She looked at the clock and sighed when she read 3:30am. Knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep, she threw the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cool beneath her bare feet as she made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. She stared blankly at the fireplace as the flames danced around as she thought of that day. She thought of it often, more often than she should. After ten years, she couldn't seem to forget or understand it. She blinked away as her eyes started to burn. She put her cup in the sink and began getting ready for work. At least that was something to look forward to as she loved her job.

Being a journalist wasn't something that she dreamed of. But she found that she really enjoyed it and had become very close to her boss, Karen. She was a bit perplexed when she saw the note waiting for her on her desk. She made her way down the hall to Karen's office. "You wanted to see me?" Karen looked up from her paperwork and smiled.

"Tyanna, always lovely to see you," she joked, knowing that Tyanna wasn't a morning person. "Please have a seat." Tyanna sat down and wondered what this was about. She and Karen were close, but it usually wasn't a good thing if you were called into her office. "How long have you worked for me?" Karen asked, getting up from her chair and coming around to the front of her desk.

"Five years," Tyanna replied, confused.

"You have done great work for this magazine and I consider you quite an assett. However..."

She was interrupted when Tyanna stood up and asked, "Are you firing me?!"

Karen looked a bit taken back, but smiled and replied, "Relax Tyanna. I'm not firing you. Sit back down." Tyanna slowly sat back down, more confused than ever. "As I was saying, " Karen continued, "you are quite an assett. However, I see something in you and I want you to explore some other avenues. I was speaking with a friend who owns an entertainment company. He expressed to me that his magazine hasn't been selling very well and he feels that the writers have lost their touch. He wants to bring in new talent and I recommended you."

Tyanna was on her feet again. "WHAT?!" Karen raised her hand and Tyanna once again took her seat.

"You don't have to go. But I highly recommend that you do as it is a great opportunity for you. Besides...I can see that you are getting a little burned out here" she raised her hand as Tyann started to speak. "Think of it as a personal favor to me. You can always come back here, but I want you to give it a year!"

"A YEAR?!" Tyanna was outraged.

"I know that seems like a long time, but it will fly by and there will be so much going on. Really Tyanna, this is a chance of a lifetime. Besides...I already said you would do it." Karen said. Tyanna's mouth dropped open in shock and Karen almost felt bad. "You've got one week before you fly out to Conneticut. You'll love it. I will keep in touch with you and after a year if you don't like it, you can always come back." Karen smiled as she ushered Tyanna out of her office. She was a zombie the rest of the day as she decided just to work from home. Besides...her boyfriend should be back from his business trip and she needed a friend.

It was 9pm and Kevin still wasn't home yet. He had called Tyanna 3 hours prior, but he still hadn't shown up. She jumped up when the door opened and flew into his arms. He went to kiss her, but she turned her head so he caught her cheek. He frowned, but didn't say anything about it. They had a late dinner and made small talk and she told him about what Karen had done. "So...you'll be leaving in a week?" Tyanna nodded. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.

"About a year. I haven't even met this friend of her's. I'm assumming she will give me more detailed information later." Kevin nodded and finished his dinner. Tyanna laid in bed and frowned when she heard Kevin sigh. She knew he was frustrated. "I'm sorry," she said softly. He sat up and looked at her.

"It's the same thing every time Tyanna! I go to kiss you and you turn your head. I go to snuggle up with you and you will only let me for a few minutes. We have never had sex or even so much as messed around because you say you're 'not ready' and it's been almost 2 years! Are you kidding me? I get that in the beginning people are shy. I thought that was the deal, but now I think you just have some problems. I don't think I can do this anymore!" he said, exasperated. He laid back down and took a deep breath. Tyanna was stunned. She started to say something as she touched his arm, but he cut her off, "I've found someone else." Tyanna jerked her hand back as if she had touched fire and started at him.

"What?" she asked, thinking maybe she heard wrong.

"I just can't do this! I have needs and this just isn't working. I'm sleeping on the couch." he said as he got up. Tyanna watched him walk out of the bedroom and then laid in silence as the tears fell from her eyes. What just happened? She didn't have any nightmares that night because she didn't sleep. She went to work early and when she came home, Kevin and all of his stuff was gone. She read the note he left on the table. *I'm sorry it had to come to this. Get some help Tyanna! I wish you the best! Kevin* Tyanna crumpled up the note and threw it to the floor. She began to pack her bags for the trip to meet with Karen's friend. She didn't want to go as she felt miserable at losing the one person she thought was going to be there forever. Did she really love him though? Or was she in love with the idea of loving him? She shook her head and wiped her eyes as she made her way to her bedroom. She opened her closet and took out her suitcase. This adventure she was going to take would be one she would never forget


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tyanna got off the plane and called a cab. She told the driver where to take her as she looked at the note in her hands. She arrived at a huge office building and went up to the 5th floor. The woman behind the desk was a stick skinny blonde woman who had obviously had some work done. Tyanna rolled her eyes as she walked up to the desk.

"How can I help you?" the woman asked snootily.

"I'm here to see..." Tyanna pulled the paper out of her pocket and read the name "...Vince McMahon."

The woman looked at her dumbfounded and said, "Have a seat, he'll be with you shortly." She then picked up her nail file and began filing her overly long fake nails. Tyanna actually wanted to laugh at how fake this woman was, but she didn't. Instead, she picked up the latest edition of the magazine she assumed she would be writing for. As she skimmed through it, she realized that her boss was right, this magazine was horrible. No wonder it wasn't selling. Her thoughts were interrupted when the woman spoke.

"He's ready to see you now." Tyanna put the magazine back, stood from her seat and took a deep breath. She then walked through the double doors to an office. She stood there as the man behind the desk looked extremely busy with some paperwork.

"Come in and have a seat" he said, not looking up from his paperwork. He paged his secretary to mail off the papers and Tyanna watched the looks that was exchanged between the two of them and how his eyes followed her all the way out the door. Tyanna wanted to gag, but pulled herself together when he started to speak. "Tyanna Reynolds I presume?" Tyanna nodded her head. "I'm Vince McMahon. You're boss, Karen, has had great things to say about you. She has praised your work and I will admit that I've checked it out myself. As I'm sure you well know, I'm in need of some new material and you just might be the person to give it to me." he finished, having stood from his desk and walked around to lean on the front of it.

Tyanna swallowed before she spoke. "Yes sir, Mr. McMahon. Karen spoke of you as a good friend and wants to help you. She suggested I try it out and I can say that I won't let you down." She swallowed again. She couldn't believe how nervous she was.

McMahon smiled. "Call me Vince." Tyanna really preferred to call him Mr. McMahon, but instead smiled and slightly nodded her head. "Okay," Vince started, standing up straight and heading back around his desk to sit down. "I'm not sure how familiar you are with our business, so I've kind of created a list for you. I want you to do some interviews for me. Get some insight from the talent and see if you can put together an article for me. I want you to write it as if to inform an audience who has very little knowledge of our business. If you're as good as Karen says you are, you should have no problem pulling this off! Welcome to the WWE!" he smirked!

It was very obvious that Vince was dismissing her and so Tyanna nodded and stood up. "Thank you Mr...I mean Vince, for this opportunity. I won't let you down." He waved her out, not looking up at her and she quickly exited the room. She breathed a sigh of relieve once the doors had closed behind her. She heard the blonde woman snort at her and she rolled her eyes and left the building. She looked down at the papers Vince had given her. The first page had an address on it. So she called a cab again and gave the driver the address. When she got to the doors, two big men were blocking the door. "This is a restricted area ma'am. You'll have to leave." Tyanna was a little startled, but she looked in the manilla envelope Vince had given her and noticed there was a pass in it. She showed it to the men at the door and they let her in. A man was standing there waiting for her. "Hello Ms. Reynolds. I'm Jim Ross. It's nice to meet you." he smiled, extending his hand. "You can call me J.R."

Tyanna shook his hand and smiled. "Please call me Tyanna." J.R. nodded as they began to walk together.

"I have a show to get ready for. But all of the superstars' dressing rooms are in this hallway. Their names are on the door. All you have to do is knock on the door, tell them who you are and what you're here for and they should have no problem helping you out. I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you longer. But the show is about to start. If you have any trouble at all, just find someone with a badge and they should be able to help you. Good luck Ms. Reynolds." he said, waving as he walked in the other direction.

Tyanna took a deep breath. She couldn't believe how nervous she was. She hit her mental button to bring down that wall she had created and the fake smile she had learned to perfect. She took a few moments to write down a list of questions and then went to the first name on her list. "John Cena" she said to herself. She walked down the hallway and found his dressing room. He answered the door with a big smile and was more than happy to talk with her.

"Number nine," she mumbled. She had spent a lot of time getting the previous eight interviews. A man by the name of Ric Flair talked endlessly. She began to walk back down the hallway when she ran into someone. She looked up and was about to say sorry, but it got caught in her throat. The man she had run into was huge. She craned her neck back to look him in the eyes and that's when she got caught. She snapped out of it when he said, "move!" and she finally mumbled, "sorry" as he walked past her. She looked back at him, shook her head, and then continued on her way. "Rude" she thought. About 15 minutes later, she was back in the hallway again. The interview was cut short because the man named Kane had a match to go do. Tyanna wasn't sure about this wrestling stuff. It didn't really look like any wrestling she had ever seen before. But she was starting to understand it. She looked at the last name on her list and once again made her way down the hallway.

Tyanna stood outside the door for a few minutes. She looked at the name on her paper and then again at the name on the door. "The Undertaker" she said out loud to herself. "What kind of a name is that?" She raised her hand and knocked. She could hear heavy footsteps and then the door swung open and there stood all six feet ten inches of him. 'WHAT?" he shouted.

After swallowing hard, Tyanna got her resolve back and she quickly explained that she was the new writer for the WWE Magazine and that she would like to interview him. "No!" he shot back. Then he slammed the door in her face. When the shock wore off, she huffed and then made her way back down the hallway. She figured she could whip up an article by tomorrow and she could do it without his input. She called a cab and left for her hotel. The day had been long and that last encounter she had, had just ruined the whole night and now she wasn't in any mood to deal with anyone else. Deciding to get some dinner, she made her way to the tiny restaurant in the hotel. She sat her stuff down next to her in the booth and ordered a salad. She was never a big eater and she figured she didn't need anything too heavy on her stomach before bed.

The Undertaker walked into the hotel, tired and hungry. Lately, his schedule had been quite hectic and he was sure he was coming down with the flu. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye, across the lobby into the connecting restaurant. He sighed, realizing that he should at least say something to her. He made his way over to her and said, "Ready for that interview?" His tone was flat, but Tyanna still jumped out of surprise.

Quickly righting herself, she said, "sure" as she moved her stuff out of the way. The Undertaker sat down and the waiter came over to take his order. He ordered a big hamburger with the works and water. Tyanna quietly ate her salad as he ate his food. Finally he broke the silence.

"I'm Mark," he said, extending his hand. Tyanna swallowed the food in her mouth as she returned his handshake and introduced herself. There was silence again as Mark stared at her as they both ate. Finally he spoke up. "Do I know you?" Tyanna looked up and looked confused.

"I don't think so," she replied. She finished her salad and pushed the plate aside. Mark finished his hamburger as he continued to stare at her. She was getting her papers ready when he spoke up again.

"Are you sure? I swear you look really familiar to me." Once again, Tyanna shook her head and gave the same answer. She began to conduct her interview, all the while Mark stared at her. She went through it quickly as he was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

"Well...that's it. Thank you for taking the time to sit down me and answer my questions," she said. Mark nodded and reached out his hand to her.

Tyanna returned his handshake as he said, "No problem..." he had forgotten her name. Tyanna smiled as she saw his predicament.

"It's Tyanna. Tyanna Reynolds". She then picked up her bag and headed up to her room. Mark stood there for a minute before he too went up to his room.

It wasn't long before Tyanna was fast asleep. Her papers were all sprawled out on the bed. It had been a rough few days and she was exhausted. She woke with a start as once again her own voice rang through her head. "He's not in here..." Her vision was blurred with their faces before her vision cleared and she could once again see. She wiped her eyes as she figured a shower would help. She wanted to finish this article. Vince hadn't given her a deadline, but she wanted to give it to him the next morning.

Mark walked through the door and tossed his stuff aside. "Tyanna Reynold'. Tyanna Reynolds." he kept saying over and over to himself. "I know I know her," he said as he shook his head. He stripped off his clothes on the way to the bathroom as he needed a good hot shower. He stepped under the water and sighed as that was just what his aching body needed. That's when it hit him. "Tyanna Reynolds!" he said, louder than he needed to. He quickly finished his shower and immediately called Kane.

"Yeah?" Kane answered sleepily. It never failed. Just when he was about to fall asleep, there was always a knock on the door or his phone would ring. "What is it Mark?"

"Glenn! You will never believe this! You know that girl that is working for the magazine? Tyanna Reynolds?" he asked. At Glenn's answer he continued. "Think about it Glenn. Tyanna Reynolds...ten years ago...ring a bell?" he said.

Glenn thought about it and then he said, "Holy shit!"

Mark sat down on his bed. "Yeah!" was all he said. That's where he knew her from. They were classmates!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tyanna walked into the arena the next morning. She hadn't slept well the night before as she spent most of the night preparing her article for Vince. It wasn't some of her best work, but considering her circumstances she wasn't too hard on herself. As she made her way down the hallway, she felt as if she was being watched. Her feeling proved true as she turned her head and found The Undertaker staring at her. She mentally shook her head as she continued her way to Vince's office.

"Come in." Tyanna walked into Vince's office and gently closed the door.

"Good Morning Mr. McMahon," Tyanna said, smiling.

"Vince" he said, as he ushered her to a seat. "I wasn't expecting to see you today? How was your first day?" he asked.

Tyanna sat down and smiled politely. "It was wonderful, thank you. Certainly interesting. I have the article for you," she said, handing him the article.

Vince raised his eyebrows as he took the article from her. "I have to say I'm impressed with your dedication Tyanna!" he replied as he sat back in his chair and put his glasses on. Tyanna sat silently, anxiously waiting to hear what he had to say. She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding when he took his glasses off and sat up straight. She felt relieved when he smiled at her.

"This is terrific!" he said. "I haven't read anything this good in quite some time and I am extremely pleased."

It was her turn to smile broadly as she was pretty proud of herself.

"I'll tell ya what. Why don't you just sit back and take in the environment tonight. Really get a feel for how a show is put together and the different roles people play. Then see if you can't come up with an article about "behind the scenes." he said, using his hands for emphasis.

Tyanna thought about it. It's not like she really had much of choice, considering this was her job for the next year. She smiled and stood up to shake his hand. Thank you for the feedback sir," she said. She then left his office.

The minute she was outside of his door, she immediately felt like she was being watched again. She turned and looked down one of the hallways and saw The Undertaker again. She furrowed her brows as she made her way down the hallway. Lost in her own thoughts, she failed to watch where she was going and ran right into Kane. "I'm sorry!" she blurted as she looked up to see who she had run into.

"It's quite alright" he said, as he moved to the side to let her pass. She looked back to see him watching her. She felt extremely uncomfortable as she ducked into the nearest restroom she could find. She went into a stall and locked the door.

"What is going on?" she whispered to herself. She took a deep breath and walked out of the stall to the sink. She braced her hands on the counter as she looked in the mirror. Despite how tired she looked, she didn't see anything out of place to make her look weird. She laughed at herself for being silly and paranoid. Standing up straight, she tugged at her clothes and stiffened her back as she mentally chastised herself for acting that way. She left the restroom and decided she would walk around and observe. She found herself in a deserted hallway and realized that she hadn't been paying attention at all. Her mind had obviously been wandering again. Cursing under her breath, she turned around to head back the way she came and she saw him again, at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. This time she was angry. She marched right up to him and craned her neck back to look him in the eyes. "Why are you following me?!" she asked, sounding as angry as she could.

The Undertaker pushed away from the wall and smirked. "I've been tryin' to catch ya so I can have a word with ya." he said. "You're not the easiest person to get to stand still," he added.

Tyanna huffed as she said, "What is it that you could possibly want to say to me?" She really didn't know what else to say to him.

The Undertaker took a breath as he really looked at her and then asked, "ya don't recognize me do ya?"

At the incredulous look on her face, he knew that was a no. "Why would I recognize you? I have no idea who you are!" she said.

"Well...I have grown another foot or two and I have tattoos. But I'm still the same good-looking guy!" he smirked, hoping to lighten the tension.

Tyanna was getting irritated as she didn't find this one bit amusing.

Seeing her confusion and sensing her irritation, he lost his smirk as he leaned a bit closer to her. "It's me Ty! Mark!" he said, as softly as he possibly could with his deep voice.

Tyanna looked into his eyes and at the moment it was if all the air had been sucked out of the building. Her stomach twisted into knots and she couldn't breathe. She began to back away from him as she shook her head and held out her hand as if that would keep him away from her. At seeing her sudden change in attitude, Mark became a little bit worried. "Tyanna? Are ya alright?" he asked.

"Stay away from me!" she gasped, not being able to catch her breath. Her eyes darted around, looking for an exit. Feeling her anxiety increase, she began to frantically go down hallway after hallway, searching for the exit. Mark was trailing after her, calling her name. Finally seeing an exit sign, she ran for it and burst through the doors, taking in a huge deep breath. Then she let out a cry of anguish. "This can't be happening" she cried. She refused to let all of her hard work be undone. She had spent years building that wall to keep herself safe and she would be damned if she was going to let it be torn down. She gathered herself and took another deep breath. She wiped her face and made sure there wasn't a tear left. Then she walked back inside and to the Gorilla position to see the work being done before superstars walked through the curtain. Mark had found Glenn while she was outside. They stood across from her about 15 feet away.

"She just kinda flipped out!" Mark explained.

"Hmmm! Seems kind of odd to me. Maybe you should try talking to her again?" Glenn suggested.

"I don't know man! She couldn't get away from me fast enough. Maybe another time." Mark said, not sure if he had even made the right decision at approaching her in the first place.

"No time like the present," Glenn said, as he made his way through the curtain.

Mark looked back over at her. He watched her as she observed the monitors and asked questions. He sighed as he ran his hand over his face. He walked over behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and instinctively backed away from him, accidently bumping into one of the technicians. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the man and then tried to walk around Mark.

"Hey can we talk for a minute?" Mark asked. Tyanna didn't answer as she ducked around him and made her way down the hallway. Mark rolled his eyes and he really didn't want to chase her. But he had to talk to her. He turned around and began trailing her. He smirked as he saw her walk into an empty dressing room. He quickly made his way to the door and stepped inside. He locked the door and said, "we need to talk." Seeing there was no way out, Tyanna began to hyperventilate. She began to pace and walk in circles. Her vision got blurry and her head became fuzzy. Mark caught her just before she hit the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The ceiling was the first thing Tyanna saw when she opened her eyes. Her hand instantly went to her head as she felt like she had been hit with a hammer. She groaned as she sat up and put her head in her hands. When she lifted her head, Mark was sitting across the room staring at her. She went to stand and immediately became dizzy. Mark was instantly by her side to steady her. She pushed his hands away angrily as she gritted her teeth and said, "don't touch me!" She then sat back down on the couch, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to run from this room with her head pounding and her balance obviously off. Mark tried not to take offense, but he couldn't help himself.

"Excuse me? I believe I'm the one who is being polite here!" he replied, placing his gloved hands on his hips. Tyanna thought it strange that he wore them as it was something UFC fighters wore.

"I want nothing to do with you!" Tyanna spat at him.

"And just what the hell have I ever done to ya, darlin? Last night I realized we were classmates and I just wanted to talk to ya. You're the one actin' all weird and shit!" he said. She had him so stirred up, the crap that was coming out of his mouth sounded so childish to him.

"You are the most horrible person I've ever met in my entire life! I want nothing to do with you! I've spent the last ten years trying to forget all about you!" she said. A piece of her wall crumbled at that moment and it was like a piece of her had been ripped way. She couldn't breathe for a minute.

Mark wasn't sure what to say right away. Then he became a little angry. "I have never done a damn thing to ya! I don't know what it is you're rambling on about, but from the sounds of it, it all sounds like bullshit! I would recommend reconsidering this job before things get bad around here!" His voice was so calm that it was scarier than if he had been yelling.

"What are ya gonna do Mark? Is it gonna be just like last time or are ya gonna change it up a bit?!" she asked. She immediately covered her mouth. She had no idea where that came from and she hadn't meant to say it as the secret she was living with was not meant for anyone else. She didn't know if she said it out of fear or anger or maybe even confusion.

Mark sat up straighter in the chair he was sitting in. He was going over in his head what she had just said to him. Before he could formulate an answer, she had made her way to the door and she was gone. He sighed as he realized that tonight was not getting him anywhere. What the hell was going on here? Things are fine and dandy and then after ten years, a classmate walks back into his life and stirs shit up. He looked up at the ceiling and decided that he would head back to the hotel. He didn't have a match that night and he didn't have to be in the next town for a few more days. He stood up and stretched and then headed to his rental car.

Tyanna cried all the way back to the hotel. She paid the cab driver and then rushed up to her room. Once inside, she threw herself on the bed and let the sobs rack her tiny body. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally pulled herself from the bed. She dug around in her purse to find the little envelope she always kept in the little hidden compartment. She pulled out the picture she had carried around with her for ten years. She gently ran her hands over the image. "You ruined my life, Mark!" she said as a tear fell onto the picture of the two of them. They weren't just classmates. They used to date!

Mark laid in bed for what seemed like an eternity. He went over his actions of the night and shook his head at how ridiculous he was being. Following her around like a little puppy. He rolled his eyes as he rolled out of bed and made his way to the mini-bar. He figured one drink couldn't hurt. An hour later he was downstairs at the bar.

"He's not in here!" Tyanna opened her eyes to the dark room. She hated hearing her 14 year old voice in her head every night. She got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She groaned at her appearance as she looked horrible. She clicked off the light and decided to get dressed. She needed some fresh air. She made her way downstairs to the lobby and out the front doors of the hotel. Once outside, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number she hadn't dialed in months and then waited for someone to answer.

Tyanna's breath caught in her throat when she heard "hello?"A fleeting moment of doubt crossed her mind on whether or not she made the right decision. Then she spoke.

"Hey Shan! It's me." She said.

"Ty?" she asked. "Ty, is that you?"

Tyanna smiled at hearing her friend. Her best friend. "Yeah, it's me. How are you Shan?" she replied.

There was a sigh on the other end of the phone. "It's so good to hear from you! I've been worried Ty. I haven't heard from you in months. Are you alright?" Shandra asked.

Running her fingers through her hair, Tyanna took a deep breath. "I'm honestly not sure if I'm okay or not," she replied. She then told her friend about her current situation. "I just don't know if I can handle being around Mark for a whole year! After everything he did to me! He and his disgusting friends! You remember high school! But I promised Karen I would try it for a year." She paused to let Shandra respond. She sighed and then replied."Okay Shan! Hey, listen, it's getting late. It was really nice talking with you. Thanks! I will try to call you tomorrow." After exchanging goodbye's Tyanna hung up the phone, ran her hand through hear hair one more time and then made her way back into the hotel and to her room.

Mark watched her walk across the lobby. He was a little confused about the conversation he had just heard. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He had intended to go outside to get some fresh air when he spotted Tyanna. She was on the phone and her back was to him, so he ducked back behind the wall so she wouldn't see him. One question plagued at him. What had he done to her and what the hell did his friends have to do with any of this?

It was a good thing they were doing another show in the same city as Mark had one hell of a hangover. He came through the back entrance of the arena, donning sunglasses as he went straight to his dressing room. He cursed under his breath when the door flew open. "Hey ma…" Kane had started to say. He stopped at seeing his friend lying on the couch, still wearing his sunglasses. "You okay bro?" he asked.

"Keep your voice down! And shut the damn door!" Mark snapped. It was then that Kane knew what the problem was.

"You're hung-over, aren't you? Why the hell are you hung-over? You never come to work like that?!" he exclaimed.

Mark sat up a little too fast and groaned. "Dammit Glenn! I said to keep your voice down!" Glenn folded his arms and Mark knew that he was not going anywhere unless he told Glenn the situation.

Glenn sat back in his chair after hearing what Mark had to say. He shook his head as he responded. "I don't know man! That's pretty weird," he said. Mark nodded as he took his sunglasses off and rubbed his eyes. Glenn shook his head again as he stood up and said, "you look like shit Mark! Take a shower and get cleaned up. You have a match tonight remember." He then walked out of the room. Mark nodded to himself and got up to take a shower.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tyanna was adjusting well to the company. It had been 4 months already and each month she handed Vince a new article, each better than the one before. Vince had been meeting with Jim Ross and they both had concluded that Tyanna had a real talent. Every show, she spent analyzing every detail of the matches and making every effort to get the interviews she needed to make her articles great. She had even started to take pictures. But Vince had a crazy idea and once he had an idea, very rarely did he not follow through with it.

"What do you think about Ms. Reynolds becoming part of the talent?" Vince asked, during a meeting with Jim Ross. J.R. looked a bit stunned and was unable to answer right away. Vince continued at J.R.'s silence "She's a beautiful woman! She certainly shows some knowledge of the company judging by the articles she has been writing," he said.

J.R. finally got his voice back as he said, "its one thing to write about it Vince! But to actually perform? Well that's another matter entirely! There is absolutely no doubt that Ms. Reynolds is beautiful! But she is a journalist. Not a performer!" He took a deep breath at the end of his little rant!

There was a moment of silence where J.R. thought that Vince might actually be considering what he had said. "Preposterous!"Vince said. "I want to schedule a meeting with her to propose the idea. You will be present as well J.R. I want to meet first thing Tuesday morning! That will be all," he finished.

"Tuesday? But that's tomorrow!" J.R. exclaimed.

Vince smirked. "Well then you had better hurry and find Ms. Reynolds to inform her so that she is not late. 8:00AM, my office," he said. J.R. threw up his hands as he left Vince's office.

Once the door had closed, Vince took a deep breath. He absolutely loved his idea. But he did have some doubts. However, he would not admit to them. "This can work!" he told himself. He nodded as if he was finalizing his decision as he went back to his work.

After spending countless hours trying to sleep, Tyanna figured she might as well get ready for the day. It was 3:30AM and she had to meet Vince in 4 ½ hours. "I wonder what he wants to see me about?" she asked aloud. She shrugged as she began to pack. They were due to be in the next city in two days. But she figured she would just get an early start and would leave after her meeting with Vince.

"Have a seat Tyanna" Vince exclaimed. Tyanna took a seat and faced his desk. "I have thoroughly enjoyed your articles," he started. She smiled in response. "I want to propose an idea to you," he stated and then paused as he folded his hands together. "I want a completely different article from you. Sort of a wrestler's inside look. And the way to do that is to experience it for yourself," he finished.

Tyanna was a bit confused. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, sir," she said, sitting on the edge of her seat.

Vince smiled. "I want you to train as a wrestler! Then I want you to write an article about what our superstars go through during training!" he explained.

Tyanna almost jumped out of her seat. "Excuse me?!" she asked. "This is not why I was hired Mr. McMahon!" she exclaimed.

Raising his hand to silence her, he ushered her to sit back down. "I'm not saying you have to become a wrestler. I just want you to experience the training so that you can give an inside look in your article," he explained. "Be at this address in two days. This is our training school and one of my best superstars will meet you there! You'll do great!" he said. With that, he handed her the paper and then looked down and busied himself with the pile of paperwork on his desk. Realizing that she didn't even have a say in this situation and that the meeting was adjourned, she stood up and walked to the door.

Once outside, she took a deep breath. She was trying to be positive about this. "It might not be so bad," she whispered to herself.

Mark stumbled into his room late that night. After his match, he and the guys hit up a few bars and he was hammered. He wasn't even fully undressed before he hit the bed. Then he groaned at the pounding that was taking place on the other side of the door. He opened it to see an angry Glenn looking back at him.

"Yeah?" he slurred.

Glenn stormed past Mark into the room. "What the hell is wrong with you man? You almost hurt me out there! You were completely reckless and I know you were intoxicated!" he said, saying the last part through gritted teeth.

Huffing at him, Mark stumbled over to the mini-bar. "C'mon Glenn! I had one little drink before the match. To unwind," he said. He then sat down on the couch and downed the little bottle in one swallow.

Looking on in disbelief, Glenn shook his head. "I don't know what's gotten into you bro. But I'm worried. You obviously have a problem and I think you need to get help." At that, he left the room. Mark glared after him as he threw the bottle at the closed door, watching it shatter. "I don't have a damn problem" he said aloud to the empty room. He then grabbed another bottle from the mini-bar as he made his way over to the bed. Downing the bottle, he dropped it to the floor before passing out.

Tyanna woke up early and made her way to the school that Vince had given her directions for. She looked at the big double doors before pulling them open and walking in. She looked at all the people that were training and the two people that were inside the ring that sat in the center. She made her way to the weight room as per her instructions. Her trainer was supposed to meet her in there. "I hope she's not a bitch!" Tyanna said to herself, always the pessimist. She set her gym bag down and started stretching. After about ten minutes, she turned around to grab her water bottle and froze in fear. "No!" she gasped.

Mark groaned as he popped a couple of advil in his mouth and took a swallow of water. He looked up when he walked into the weight room and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around as if expecting to see someone else. He cursed under his breath as he walked closer to her. "You're not my trainee are ya?" he said, his voice a little low to lessen the pounding in his head.

Swallowing hard, Tyanna slowly nodded. "I think I am," she said, her tone of voice, matching his.

"God dammit Vince!" he shouted, as he threw his bag to the floor. Tyanna jumped in surprise at his sudden outburst. She stepped back a little as he muttered to himself. She couldn't hear everything that he was saying, but she was able to make out the multiple curse words that were flying. Finally, Mark took a deep breath and said, "Uh, let's start on some weights," then he walked over to the bench press. "How much can you bench?" he asked.

Tyanna turned red in embarrassment as she had never bench pressed anything in her life. "I don't know," she said.

Marked rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "We'll start small," he said, clearly irritated. Tyanna didn't do too bad as he slowly added more weight. When he reached about 70 pounds, he had to help her. For never having done this before and for being so tiny, Mark would've been impressed if he wasn't hung-over and irritated. After about an hour, they came out to the ring. Tyanna was immediately uneasy as she didn't want to learn wrestling moves. That and the whole place seemed to be deserted.

"Where did everyone go?" she wondered to herself.

Mark climbed into the ring and then turned around and looked down at her. "Get in here," he said. Tyanna hesitantly made her way up the steps in through the ropes into the ring. "Now take a bump," Mark stated.

"What?" she asked, completely shocked.

"Take a bump. You have to be able to know how to land so that you don't injure yourself. It's one of the first things a wrestler learns. Now take a bump." he said.

"I can't. I don't know how. I..." her words were cut short as Mark grabbed her and threw her to the mat. She landed flat on her back with a thud and the wind was completely knocked out of her. Once she was able to breathe, she looked up in disbelief.

"Did that hurt?" he asked.

Once Tyanna was able to think about it, she realized that it hadn't hurt. "No," she whispered.

Mark nodded. "That's because I positioned you for that fall. But you have to be able to do it on your own. Watch!" he said. Then he repeatedly threw himself flat on his back. Each time, he would roll to his feet and do it again. After about four times, he stood up and said, "now you do it. Just throw yourself back," he said.

Tyanna took a deep breath and then did exactly what she was told. She did it perfectly! Mark smirked and said, "wasn't so hard, was it?" Tyanna didn't say anything. "I think we should call it a day," he said. With that, he left the ring and grabbed his bad.

Glancing at him as she got out of the ring, she watched him take a drink and then did a double take. Was that alcohol? She walked past him and over to her bag. "You need a ride? I have my rental," she said.

Turning to face her, his eyes narrowed. "Why the hell would I need a ride. I got here just fine, didn't I?" he snapped.

Shrugging her shoulders, she tried to justify her question. "I just thought that maybe you might need a ride," she said.

"Well I don't!" he said. He then went to walk past her and he stumbled a bit. She moved out of his way as he made his way outside.

Tyanna struggled with her feelings for a brief minute before going after him. "Hey Mark, wait up!"

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he stopped. "What?!" he snapped.

"Look, neither one of us is liking this crazy arrangement Vince has made. And I don't know what you're dealing with. But I know that you are in no shape to be driving. Please let me give you a ride." She gently touched his arm and Mark sighed inwardly. He looked down at her and then gritted out "fine". Tyanna let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding, as she reached for her keys.

The whole drive back to the hotel was in silence. Being in the closed proximity of the car, Tyanna was able to smell the alcohol on him. It was strong as the few words she was able to get out of him were a little slurred. She sighed with relief when the hotel came into view. They both got out of the car and headed inside. "See ya tomorrow," she said. She watched him walk away without a word. She nodded as if confirming something to herself and then she too went to her room. She needed a shower and she needed to think.

She couldn't believe that she had just saved him from making a possibly fatal mistake. Part of her wanted to let him drive, hoping he would get into an accident. A sort of payment for what he did to her. But the other part of her, the bigger part, included her common sense and she knew she couldn't let him drive in that state. What kind of a person would she be if she had let him drink and drive?

Once inside her room, she stripped off her clothes on the way to the shower. The hot water felt good on her aching muscles. She took a quick shower as she wanted to get in a call to Shandra. She towel dried her hair and then picked up her phone. She noticed she had missed a call. She dialed her voicemail and there was no call back number. She listened to the voicemail and then didn't hear anything at first. Then there was some static and a deep breath. Then she heard it! The voice that haunted her nightmares. The voice that she had hoped to never hear again.

"Hello sexy! Mmmm...you've been missed. I thought I would give you a call. It is after all, our ten year anniversary!" The voicemail ended. The phone fell to the floor as Tyanna sunk to her knees. There was a knock on her door, but it went unanswered as she began to shake as the tears fell uncontrollably. So many questions ran through her mind. How did he get her number? Why now? After all these years? Why won't it end? She didn't have the answer to anything of them. She was consumed with her fear as she felt herself begin to panic. She stood from the floor as she searched her purse for her anxiety medicine. That was the last thing she remembered as she must have fell asleep out of exhaustion and fear.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The dreams that plagued Tyanna that night allowed her very little sleep. She felt absolutely exhausted and was not looking forward to another day of training. She arrived at the school before Mark and began to stretch. After about an hour and still no Mark, she gave up and went back to the hotel. She was so tired that she just wanted to sleep.

She had just drifted off to sleep after laying there for two hours, when she heard pounding on the door. She drug herself out of bed and opened the door. A very angry Mark was standing on the other side. He pushed past her into her room. She could immediately tell that he had been drinking, as the smell of alcohol wafted after him. She closed the door and then turned around to face him.

"Where the hell were you?" he snapped. "I waited for an hour! You wasted my time!" he said, almost yelling.

"Wasted your time? What about the time I spent waiting for you this morning? I was there on time and you never showed up! But please, don't let me waste any more of your time. Your alcohol is waiting for you," she replied coolly, folding her arm.

Mark narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you say?" he asked, his tone eerily calm.

"Face it Mark! You have a drinking problem! You're a drunk!"she said. In a flash, Mark had moved across the room and had her pinned against the door, his hands on either side of her head. He lowered his head so that his face was only mere inches from hers. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Do not ever speak to me like that again!" he stated. Tyanna began to nod her head when he spoke again. "I…do not…have…a problem." With each pause, his face got closer and closer to hers. Before she knew what was happening, his lips had captured hers.

At first, Tyanna was stunned as it happened so fast. She could taste the alcohol and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. She slowly started to relax as she began to kiss him back. Feeling her respond to him, Mark deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

Tyanna's mind was all fuzzy. As Mark's hold on her began to tighten, the haze began to clear and she became more aware of what was happening. She began to push against him as she tried to break the kiss. The taste of alcohol was starting to make her nauseous and she began to panic, shoving at his broad shoulders and massive chest, but to no avail. It wasn't until she let out a whimper that Mark finally snapped out of it. It wasn't the type of whimper he was used to getting from a woman. This one was full of fear.

Mark took a step back from Tyanna as he released her from his arms. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. He looked up at her and his heart broke at seeing both the tears and the fear, swimming around in her beautiful blue eyes. "Ty…I" he started to say.

"Don't call me that!" she interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please leave," she sobbed as she moved away from the door.

"I'm sorry!" he said, as he left the room. The sound of the lock clicking sounded like a hammer to him. "What the hell just happened?" he mumbled. Instead of going back to his room, he tracked Glenn down. He needed to talk to someone.

The next morning, Tyanna was unsure about whether or not to go to training. She had to remind herself that this was her job and she needed to be professional. So she showered, got dressed and headed down town. She was immediately uncomfortable when she walked in. Yes, part of it was due to what had happened between her and Mark the night before. However, the whole building was deserted, except for Mark, who was getting his boots on over in the corner.

Hesitantly, she walked over to where he was sitting and slowly set her bag down. "Morning," she said dryly. She didn't want to be here.

Mark didn't even look at her as he stood up, said "yeah" and then he headed toward the ring. Tyanna scoffed at him as she turned and followed him.

"We're going to work on holds today," he said, sounding all business. Tyanna nodded as he began to explain things. "When someone has you in a headlock or has their arms locked with yours, pull or push them to a corner. The ref will count, causing them to break the hold," he explained.

After a few different holds, Mark had his arms locked with hers. She did as he said and pulled him to one of the corners. She went to free her arms, but Mark wouldn't unlock his arms. Instead, he just stared at her. He was making her extremely uncomfortable. "Ummm…I think the 5-count would've been over by now," she said.

Blinking, he realized what he was doing. Silently scolding himself, he then moved onto a different technique. After about another half hour, he called it a day.

As Tyanna packed her bag, she watched Mark pull the small bottle out of his bag. "You should really quit drinking Mark! Or at least don't do it and then drive!" she said.

"What the hell do you know?" he snapped.

"At least let me leave first so that you don't end up killing me out there on the road!" she retorted. Then she walked away. Mark glared after her.

Tyanna sighed when she put her key-card in the door and walked in. She closed and locked the door and moved further into the room and turned the light on. She stopped cold when she saw a bouquet of flowers sitting on the coffee table. She scanned the room and then made her way toward the couch. She sat down and stared at the flowers as she began to shake. They weren't just any flowers. They were wild flowers and looked freshly picked. Then she saw something intertwined in the flowers. A single straw of hay. She held it in her hand for only a second as she almost threw up. She then reached for the card, already knowing who it was from. "Happy Anniversary! I carefully chose the flowers as they reminded me of our time together. I hope they remind you as well. I figured the hay was just the finishing touch they needed. I sure do miss you!"

There was no name, but she knew who they were from. She immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up. Then she threw the flowers in the garbage and laid down. She now had a killer headache and the sobs that began to wrack her body was not helping. She wrapped her arms around herself as she cried herself to sleep.

Mark had spent a few hours at the bar, dwelling on what Tyanna had said to him earlier that day. He was finally angry enough that he decided to give her a piece of his mind. He paid for his last drink, downed it, and then made his way to the elevators. Once he reached her room, he began to bang his fist against the door. He quit when he heard the shuffling of the lock being undone. Once the door was open, he walked right in.

"Ya know somethin', I don't appreciate ya givin' me attitude about…" he stopped ranting when Tyanna turned around to face him. She looked horrible! "What happened to ya?" he asked, almost sarcastically.

"What's it matter to you?" she snapped. She went to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him.

"You really need to learn how to talk to me!" he stated, his tone low.

Tyanna immediately cowered and whimpered, "Please don't hurt me!" Mark immediately let go of her and took a step back with his hands up.

"What the hell? I would never…why would you think…" he couldn't find the words.

Realizing her moment of weakness, Tyanna regained her bearings as she straightened her back. "Just forget it Mark! Why are you here?"she asked.

Mark couldn't ignore her words and the sound of her voice as she pleaded. "I can't just forget it. Why would ya think I would ever hurt ya?" he asked. His anger from before had turned to confusion and curiosity. "We really need to talk about our situation. Especially now that Vince has ya trainin'," he said.

Tyanna sighed as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "I don't want to talk to you," she stated, matter of fact.

Mark chuckled. "C'mon Tyanna. You're gonna have to talk to me sooner or later about whatever it is that's bothering ya. Because whatever it is, it's affecting our workin' together," he said.

Scoffing, she whipped her head around to look at him. "And you being drunk all the time isn't?"

A flash of anger flickered in Mark's eyes at her words. And then it was gone. He didn't want to admit his reasons for drinking. It was just easier that way. Instead of lashing out, he decided to try a different approach. "May I sit down?" he asked.

Tyanna waved her hand and he sat on the other end of the couch. Letting out a big sigh, he turned to face her. "Maybe we can start over? It's be ten years after all," he said.

A look of confusion crossed her face. She turned her head to look at him.

"I'm Mark Calaway. I believe we are classmates," he smiled.

Looking down at his hand, she contemplated taking it. Hesitantly, she started to reach out of her hand. She kept pulling back as if his hand were a snake that might strike at her any moment. She finally slipped her hand into his. "Nice...to meet you," she whispered, marveling at how his hand just swallowed hers completely. She looked up at him to see him smiling. That smile...he always had a beautiful smile. She snapped out of it and pulled her hand away quickly. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as an awkward silence filled the room.

Mark wanted so badly to talk about what was bothering her, but he didn't want to take the chance of it turning into a big argument. Then he kind of got an idea. "I have an idea, if you'll consider it," he said, breaking the silence.

Tyanna turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows in question. Mark quickly continued. "Ya have to train with me, right?" Tyanna nodded slightly. "So I was thinking that maybe we could save some cost if we travelled together?" he suggested. At seeing Tyanna begin to shake her head no, he quickly justified it. "Everyone does it all the time. It helps each other stay awake and we can switch off driving. It would allow me to help you study the moves and remember the rules and such," he said.

"O...Okay" she whispered. Mark smiled in return.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Mark was a little frustrated. It had been 2 months since he had been able to convince Tyanna to travel with him. But he hadn't been able to get her to open up yet. He decided to be a little drastic. They were about fifty miles from the next town, so he figured he had about an hour and there was nowhere she could go to hide.

He had decided to ask her what the problem was. The question that had been plaguing him for months. Now that he had the chance, he wasn't sure if he could do it. He had been all gung-ho up until this moment. He looked over at her a couple of times. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but nothing came out. He wasted a good 20 minutes or so, trying to figure out how to bring up the subject he badly wanted to discuss. Finally he cleared his throat.

"So..." he started, breaking the deafening silence.

Tyanna shifted in her seat, indicating that she had heard him.

"Tell me. What was so horrible about me in high school? I mean, you say I am the most horrible person you've ever met and I ruined your life. What exactly did I do?" he asked. He almost felt a little bit of anger as he asked the question.

Stiffening at his words, she couldn't quite speak. She was trapped and she knew he knew it. "I don't want to talk about this Mark," she said.

Mark kind of expected her to say that. "That's tough darlin'. We're gonna have this talk. I think I deserve to know what it is that made me so horrible!"

"I really don't want to talk about this!" she said, a little louder this time.

"Why not? Is it some made up story in your head about how I supposedly treated ya? Because from what I remember, ya ditched out on comin' over, ya wouldn't take my calls and when I went to check on ya, ya looked me straight in the eye and said ya never wanted to see me again" he exclaimed.

"I WAS THERE!" she blurted. She immediately covered her mouth and the tears brimmed in her wide eyes! She hadn't meant to say that and she felt absolutely mortified that she had blurted that out.

"Excuse me?" Mark asked.

Swallowing hard to get rid of the lump in her throat, she said, "never mind! Are we almost there?"

Mark furrowed his brow as he said, "yeah," his voice low. Silence was the only sound for the rest of the trip. He looked over at her as she put her earphones in and turned her iPod on. He knew then that the conversation was over. He heard her sigh of relief when the city lights came into view.

"Hello ma'am! Do you have a reservation?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Yes," Tyanna replied.

After a few minutes, the man looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but there seems to be some sort of mistake. You reservation must have been lost when our system went down. Let me see if there is something I can do," he said.

"You can stay with me," Mark offered.

"Yeah right!" she laughed. Mark rolled his eyes and stepped up to the desk.

"Hey man, why don't you cancel my room, and give us an adjoining room," he said. He then looked back at Tyanna, who had an incredulous look on her face and he smirked. The man punched some keys on his computer and said, "Okay, that should do it. I apologize for the inconvenience. I will definitely document this incident and assure that it will never happen again," he smiled.

Mark took the keys, picked up the bags and said, "let's go" as he began walking towards the elevators. Tyanna stood there, stunned and then reluctantly followed as she just wanted to crawl into a bed.

Mark sat in his room and looked at the adjoining door. He kept waiting for the lock to click, but he never heard it. They had been in their rooms for about thirty minutes now and he was getting hungry. He thought maybe he should ask her to join him, but after their conversation in the car earlier, he didn't think she would be willing to be anywhere near him at the moment. Finally, he knocked on the adjoining door. He turned the handle slowly and peeked inside. "Tyanna?" he called out. He saw her walk out of the bathroom and then stop at the sight of him. "I was gonna grab a bite to eat. Ya wanna join me?" he asked.

"Okay,"she said. He opened the door wider and let her walk past him and out the door. He then drove to a little diner that he found the last time he came through.

Dinner started off quiet. But Mark couldn't stand it anymore. "So, are ya feelin' more comfortable with the wrestling moves and such?" he asked. He felt absolutely ridiculous asking that question, but the silence was driving him crazy.

Tyanna was a little bit unsure if he was leading up to other conversation, but she answered with "yes."

Sighing inwardly, he tried again. "So...journalism, huh? What made ya chose that career?" he asked.

"Ummm...I like to write," she answered. Mark nodded. He was starting to regret his dinner idea. All too soon, dinner was over. Mark was not tired at all and he felt like he should keep trying.

"Ya wanna rent a movie? We could unwind from the drive a little bit?" he suggested.

Tyanna was quiet. And then surprisingly she said, "Okay."

Mark had prepared himself for a no, but he smiled at her agreement and let her pick the movie. They watched the movie in his room and sat on separate ends of the couch. He smiled every time she would giggle as he thought it was the cutest sound. The movie was almost over when her cell phone rang. "You want me to pause it?" he asked. She shook her head no, as she grabbed her phone.

"Hello?"she answered.

"Hey sexy! How are you?" the voice asked.

She completely froze at hearing that horrible voice.

"What's the matter? Are you busy and can't talk?" he asked.

"Leave me alone!" she whispered.

Mark was staring at the television, but not really paying attention to what he was watching. His attention was completely captured with Tyanna's phone call.

"Oooohhh...you're not alone are you?" he laughed. "I shall see you soon!" He laughed again and then hung up. Tyanna slowly lowered the phone to her lap and then hit end. She felt one tear fall and she immediately wiped it away and stood up.

"Ya alright?" Mark asked.

"I'm just tired. I'm gonna go to bed now," she said. Then she went through the connecting door to her room. Mark watched her leave and knew something was wrong. He looked at the closed door numerous times before he too decided it was time for bed.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the clock. It read 2:30AM and he rolled his eyes. He usually slept through the night. He got up and went to the mini-bar. He hadn't had a drink in awhile and he badly needed one. But then he heard it. The sound that must have woken him up. He listened again and realized it was coming from Tyanna's room. He went to the door and put his ear against it, trying to hear better. He heard her whimpering. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside. It was completely dark. "Tyanna?" he called out softly.

Hearing her whimper again, he moved further into the room. He could see her silhouette on the bed as he made his way over to her. He realized that she was still asleep and must be dreaming. Her sleep was restless as she began to move around, with a pained expression on her face. "He's not in here!" she said, as she threw the covers off. Mark wasn't sure if he should wake her up or not. "No...please don't!"she cried as she began to thrash around. Mark couldn't just let her go through whatever it was she was dreaming about as he reached out to shake her awake.

"Tyanna!"he said. She woke up, but wasn't fully awake as she began to swing her arms in defense. "Hey! Hey! It's alright, it's me, it's Mark!" he said, wrapping his arms around her to still her movements. She stopped moving, but was breathing heavily and then realized everything was just a dream. She broke down in tears as she turned in his arms and clung to him as she cried. "Shhh. You're alright now," he cooed. He surprised himself at how gentle he was being. He wasn't good at the mushy, emotional stuff. Tyanna pulled back and looked up at him, the tears streaking her face. "Ya okay?" he asked, wiping her tears away. Tyanna nodded and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her breathing.

Hooking a finger under her chin, Mark lifted her face to him and then slowly lowered his head. He captured her lips in the softest of kisses as he cupped the side of her face. He felt Tyanna relax against him as he wrapped his arms around her lovingly. He slid his tongue along her lips asking for permission. When her lips parted slightly, he slid his tongue in and groaned deep in his throat at finally being able to taste the inside of her mouth. But with that groan, Tyanna's eyes flew open and she pushed against his chest. Mark didn't notice her distress right away as he moved his lips to her neck and began to slide his hand up her bare leg to the hem of her very short nightgown. Tyanna was in pure panic mode now. Mark's face turned to his and his voice played in her head. She couldn't distinguish between the two at the moment. "Please stop!" she cried. "Please Alex, don't!" she said.

Mark jerked his actions to a stop. "What?" he asked.

Tyanna's mind began to clear again as she realized that she had slipped up yet again. "Nothing. Please stop. I can't do this!" she said as she pulled free of his arms.

"No wait a minute! You said Alex! Who is Alex?" he asked, standing up from the bed. Staring at her, with the bed between them, he realized how scared she looked. She looked horrified. "Tyanna, c'mon! Somethin' is up. Why can't ya just trust me and tell me what's bothering ya. And who the hell is Alex? Is he an ex-boyfriend or somethin'?" he asked.

Tyanna began to shake her head as she closed her eyes. "No, he's not an ex-boyfriend. Just please forget about what I said and leave," she pleaded.

Mark shook his head. He was tired of all the secrecy. He just woke her up from what was clearly a horrible nightmare. Then they shared an amazing kiss and then she freaks out. No, he wanted answers. "I'm not leaving until ya tell me what the hell is wrong with ya!"

Tyanna stood there not believing what he was saying. He couldn't force her to tell him anything. "Get out of my room!" she stated, relieved that there was some strength back in her voice. Mark folded his massive tattooed arms and she had to admit that he looked a bit intimidating. Sighing she lowered her head. "Alex...is...your friend!" she stated, feeling the tears as they threatened to fall.

Placing his hands on his hips, he said, "excuse me?"

"Your friend! He's your friend, from high school! Now please leave!" she stated, turning her back to him and walking into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Mark didn't quite understand. So he decided to ask someone else for the answers. He called Alex!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Hey buddy!" Mark said when Alex picked up the phone.

"Mark? Hey man! What's it been? Like a few years, huh?" Alex responded.

Mark had to laugh. He started to have some second thoughts about calling his friend. But he just had to know what the situation was. "Hey man, I gotta ask ya a question. I hate to ask ya after not talkin'to ya for so long," he said.

"Sure, what's up?" Alex asked.

Mark sighed. "Ya know that girl from high school? Tyanna? She and I dated for a little while," he asked.

Alex felt himself harden at the thought of her. "Yeah, I remember her. Why?" he replied.

Mark hesitated. "Well…did you two ever…ya know…" he tried to say. He couldn't believe he was having so much trouble with this. This was his best friend for crying out loud. He heard Alex sigh and he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, she and I had sex. She made me promise not to say anything because she knew I was your friend," he explained.

Mark clenched his fist as he listened to Alex speak about Tyanna. "What a slut!" he thought to himself. "Well…she seemed like she was having a nightmare earlier and she said your name and was saying 'please don't'. Can you explain that?" he said.

Alex smiled. He obviously had more of an effect on Tyanna than he thought. He sighed again for affect and said, "Well…she wanted to roll play a lot. Ya know, I was her captor type stuff and she would beg me not to do stuff to her. It was weird, but she liked it," he said.

Mark gritted his teeth and ran his hand over his face. He sighed as he said, "thanks man!"

Alex smiled and worked hard to contain his laughter. "Sorry man!" he said.

"Nah! I appreciate ya tellin' me what went down! It makes sense to me now!" Mark said. "I gotta get some sleep. I'll catch ya later!" he continued.

"Yeah, no problem. Hey, maybe I can come visit ya on the road here soon. Catch up, hit a few bars," Alex laughed.

"Absolutely. See ya!" Mark replied. Then he hung up.

Mark shook his head after his phone call ended. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked at the connecting door to Tyanna's room. He found himself glaring at the door and feeling hatred toward her. He stripped down and crawled into bed, his mood definitely dampened.

Tyanna woke up multiple times throughout the night. She couldn't believe she told Mark about Alex. What was happening? Her walls were crumbling all around her and she couldn't rebuild them fast enough to keep herself safe. Was she going to have to tell Mark the whole story? No, she needed to just rebuild and be strong. Mark didn't need to know the whole story. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything would be alright.

The next morning, she woke up to the connecting door swinging open. "Get up! We got training to do!" Mark yelled from his room. Tyanna groaned in frustration as she was exhausted. But she drug herself out of bed, changed into some shorts and a tank top and went to Mark's room. "There's a gym downtown with a ring," he said. Then he was out the door. Tyanna had to run to keep up with him. A few minutes later they arrived at the gym.

There were very few people in the gym when they arrived, but Tyanna really didn't pay much attention to them. She could tell that something was up with Mark. He got in the ring and placed his hands on his hips as he waited impatiently for her to get into the ring. Tyanna was a bit hesitant as she climbed through the ropes. She looked across the ring at him and took a step back. He looked ready to kill.

They started off with some holds and different bumps. But then he said, "we're gonna speed things up a bit!" He then grabbed her and gave her a spine buster. Tyanna couldn't breathe for a moment as he waited for her to get up. "C'mon, get up!" he said. She rolled over and got to her feet. By now, a few of the people had gathered around to watch. He threw her across the ring and she bounced off the ropes and walked right into his clothesline. She wanted to say "stop" but she couldn't talk. "Get up Tyanna!" he said. When she made it to her feet, he grabbed her around the throat, readying her for a choke slam. He looked at her, the anger clear in his eyes. Tyanna could feel the rage radiating from him. She grasped at his hand and whispered, "please!" Mark let go and pushed her away from him and she collapsed on the mat. She put her hand to her throat as she looked up at him. She then crawled out of the ring and a few of the people approached her to see if she was okay. She nodded and brushed them off as she walked outside. She hailed a cab and went straight back to the hotel and to her room. She made sure to lock the connecting door as she went and took a shower. The hot water didn't do much for her aching muscles as her heart hurt. What the hell was going on?

After a long shower, she crawled into bed and cried. It seems like she did that a lot lately. It wasn't long before she heard Mark enter his room. He heard him check the door and then knock. She completely ignored it. He knocked again and she didn't move. There was no way she was going to open that door.

Around 7:00PM, Mark tried the door again. It was going on six hours and he knew she hadn't left the room. He had had time to cool down a bit and he was a little worried about her. He hadn't meant to be that rough with her. Then he thought about what Alex had said. "I need a vacation. Maybe one will do her good as well," he thought. He made a phone call to Vince and told a little white lie to convince him to let him go home for a few days. He never had to lie to Vince, but in order to allow Tyanna to go with him, he needed to. He knocked on the door again and softly said her name. He sighed in relief when he heard her unlocking the door.

When the door opened, Mark's heart broke. She looked terrible! "Ummm…are ya hungry?"he asked. Shaking her head "no", she turned and walked back into her room. Mark followed her and fidgeted a little bit as he asked, "are ya okay?" he asked. Tyanna didn't answer.

"What do you want Mark?" she asked.

"I got us some vacation time. I figured it would do us both some good," he said.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you!" she replied.

"Well it's already been approved through Vince. So it looks like you're goin' on vacation," he stated.

Tyanna sighed in defeat. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Mark smiled. "It's a surprise. But I think you'll like it!"

Tyanna didn't smile or react at all. She just turned and began to pack her bags.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After about 4 hours in the car and still not knowing where they were going, Tyanna finally gave in to her exhaustion and let sleep claim her. Her dreams were unpleasant and her sleep wasn't too peaceful, but she was able to get some rest. She didn't realize how much time she had spent sleeping until Mark had shaken her awake. "We're here," he said.

Tyanna rubbed the sleep from her eyes and it only took her a second to realize where they were. "No," she whispered.

"C'mon, I'll show ya around!" Mark said, smiling. When Tyanna didn't get out of the car, he went to her side. She had locked the doors. "Tyanna?" he asked, tapping on the window. When she looked at him, he saw the uncertainty in her eyes. He grabbed the keys out of his pocked and unlocked the door and opened it. Tyanna was still buckled and wasn't budging. He reached over her and unlatched the buckle and took her hand. She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in."Ya okay?" he asked. She didn't answer as she stared up at the house. Scenes from her past played through her mind and she stumbled a bit.

Once they were in the house, Mark set the bags in the living room and said, "Want a tour? I got the house after Mom and Dad died and I did some remodeling and what not," he said. Tyanna didn't answer. She swore to herself that she would never come back here. EVER!

It was a bit late, so they didn't spend too much time reminiscing. Tyanna barely slept that night and was the first one up.

Mark walked downstairs the next morning, half asleep. He found Tyanna sitting in the living room, fully dressed. "How long have you been up?" he asked.

"A few hours!" she replied.

Mark walked into the kitchen to start some coffee. He then reached into his cupboard and grabbed some liquor. He figured a few shots in coffee would wake him up. "I figured we could take a look around the land today and maybe go horseback riding. Then we can come back to the house for lunch. With no answer, he finished with the coffee. After giving his some extra flavor, he put the bottle back. He sighed with contentment after the first big gulp he took. He needed that drink. He quickly drank his cup of coffee and poured another one. Only this time it had more alcohol than coffee.

Tyanna was busy looking at all the pictures that were hanging on the wall. She jumped when he walked into the room and spoke. "I'm gonna go get dressed and then we'll get goin'," he said and up the stairs he went. He was back within a few minutes.

She was a little hesitant to let him lead her out of the house. However, three quarters across the back yard and she stopped dead in her tracks. "What's wrong?" Mark asked. He found her staring at the big barn that was straight ahead. "It's the barn. It's where the horses are kept. We have to get the horses from the barn in order to ride 'em," he stated, almost making fun of her. He grabbed her hand to start walking, but she pulled away from him. "What is the problem?" he asked, walking to stand in front of her.

He frowned as it was if she was seeing right through him. Her eyes were wide and the fear was etched on her face. Her mouth was open as if she was going to say something, but no sound came out. "I…I…" she tried to say, but she couldn't form a sentence. Mark, being insensitive, was getting impatient. She was being ridiculous and acting like a child.

"What's the matter, are ya afraid of the barn. I'm sorry, would ya rather go riding with your fuck buddy Alex? Maybe ya would enjoy that more!" he spat.

Tyanna tore her eyes away from the barn to look up at him. "What?" she whispered, clearly hurt by his words and mortified that he would say something like that. In seconds the tears flowed from her eyes. "How dare you!" she said.

Mark scoffed. "What? That strike a nerve? Funny how ya would barely kiss me when we were dating and then I find out that ya fucked my best friend!" he stated angrily. He was pretty sure the alcohol was talking now, but he was too angry to care. He was stunned when all of a sudden, he received a slap across the face.

"You son of a bitch!" she cried. She then ran back to the house and to the room that she was staying in.

Rubbing his cheek, Mark glared after her. "Oh this aint over," he said, as he stalked after her. He tried the door knob first and realized that she had locked the door. So he resorted to kicking the door in. He found her sitting on her bed. He stomped over to her and grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off the bed as she cried out in pain.

"Hit me again slut! I dare ya! I know ya fucked my friend. He told me! He told me everything! Was it just him? Or did ya fuck all of my friends?" he asked.

Tyanna opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Ya did! You fucked all my friends! I can't believe this! I'm so glad that we never had sex. After you whoring around with my friends!" he said.

That was it. Tyanna had had enough! She couldn't take it anymore. She pushed him away from her as she screamed at him! "YOU BASTARD! THEY RAPED ME!" She then collapsed to her knees on the floor as her body was wracked with sobs.

Mark was literally stunned into silence and it was if his legs were bolted to the floor as he couldn't move. He looked down at Tyanna who was on the floor, crying her heart out. He gaped at her as he contemplated going to her. He slowly made his way to her and knelt down. "Tyanna?"he said, his voice low. He gently touched her arm and she jerked away from him."Tyanna?" he said again. His heart completely broke at the sight of her.

"I'm so sorry Mark!" she whispered. "I didn't mean for it to happen! I'm so sorry!" she cried. Mark shook his head as if silencing her.

"What do ya mean they…raped you?" he asked. "Who are they?"

"All of them! Alex, Aaron, Kyle, all of them!" she cried.

Mark took a deep breath. "Tell me what happened Tyanna! Please?" he said. Tyanna looked up at him.

"I can't!" she said, her voice barely audible.

Picking her up off the floor, Mark sat her on the bed and then gently held her as she cried. When her sobs started to subside, Mark asked her again. "Tell me Tyanna! Please?" He needed to hear what happened. He didn't know why, but he had to!

Looking up at him through tear filled eyes, he could see the shame and fear swimming in her tears. She sat up a little straighter, but to his surprise, she never let go of his hand. She hiccupped and took a deep breath, preparing herself. Mark told himself he would sit quietly until the end.

"Things were good, right?" she asked.

Seeing the need for reassurance, he nodded, but didn't say anything. Nodding, she began the story.

"The night you asked me to come over, I was really excited. I really cared about you a lot and I loved spending time with you! I was running late and when I went to call you, I realized my phone had died. I got to your house and before I could ring the doorbell, someone grabbed my arm. I was startled, but relaxed when I saw it was Alex," she began. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

Mark squeezed her hand as if saying, "go on."

"Alex told me that you were in the barn and said he would walk me out there. I didn't think anything of it because he was your friend and you were always in the barn," she said, breaking down once more.

She regained her composure and continued. "When I stepped into the barn I said that you weren't in there and that's when I heard the doors slam behind me. When I turned around I saw Aaron and Kyle. I was confused and then..." she stopped, getting extremely choked up. Mark rubbed her back reassuringly. She looked up at him, completely mortified that she was revealing all of this to him. She searched his face for some kind of clue as to what he might be thinking, but there was nothing.

"When I turned back around, Alex was right there. He grabbed me and kissed me and I pushed him away. But then he grabbed me again and threw me down on the ground. Before I knew what was happening, Aaron and Kyle were holding me down and Alex was ripping my clothes," she broke down again. She knew she needed to get through this, but reliving this was worse than her nightmares. She was so embarrassed. I couldn't stop him and he..." she couldn't go on. She cleared her throat and then continued. When he was done, Aaron's face appeared. They all took turns, Mark!" All three of them. There was a little crack in the barn doors and I could see the house. I tried to scream, but I couldn't. You were right across the yard in the house. A couple hundred feet away and I couldn't get to you. It seemed like forever, but when they were all done, I heard Alex laughing. Then they were gone. It was hard to move at first, but I managed to pull myself together and grab my purse and then I ran out. I ran all the way home," she said.

Taking another deep breath, her eyes widened. "No one knows about this Mark! Please, please don't tell anyone?! The only one who knows is Shandra! Please don't tell anyone!" she pleaded, gripping the front of his shirt. "I went home and took a shower, but I could never get clean enough. I couldn't face you or talk to you because I was so ashamed. When you came over that next day, I told you I never wanted to see you again because I figured that it would be easier that way. Ten years later, I am still reliving it. I dream about it every night. My last boyfriend, Kevin, he left because I could never be intimate with him. I feel dirty all the time and I keep racking my brain trying to think of what I did to provoke such actions. I just can't think of anything, " she said, ending with a whisper.

Silence filled the room and then Mark sighed and let go of her hands. Tears began to fall as she immediately regretting telling him. He ran his hand through his hair and over his face as he looked up at the ceiling. "Mark?" she whispered. She was a little afraid when he turned to face her. The look on his face was one she had never seen before. "Do you hate me?" she asked. "I'm so sorr..."he hushed her with a finger to her lips.

"Do not say you're sorry one more time. Do ya hear me? And no, I do not hate ya!" he said, pulling her in to hug her.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered into his chest. There was a moment of silence and then in a deadly, calm, eerie voice he said, "I want to kill them!" Tyanna shuddered.

In just a matter of ten minutes, she had fallen asleep. Mark laid her down and then, surprising himself, he laid down next to her. It had been quite the day and he was blown away. His own friends. He watched her as she slept, the tear streaks on her beautiful face. He grew angry as he couldn't help but imagine how scared she must have been. He wondered how anyone could hurt such a beautiful, kind, caring person. He stared at the ceiling he felt a smile tugging at his lips. Oh yeah...he was definitely going to make them pay for what they had done. He closed his eyes as he let sleep overcome him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Mark awoke to being shaken. He was disoriented as he realized he wasn't in his room. In the moonlight, he could see Tyanna lying next to him, obviously in the throes of a dream. He started to talk to her, trying to gently wake her up. She sat bolt upright, gasping, saying "he's not in here!" Mark sat up, startling her. She immediately went to defend herself and he wrapped his arms around her to calm her. She calmed and clung to him, trying to calm down. "It's alright! You're safe now!" he said, his voice soft, gruff as he was sleepy. Tyanna raised her head to look at him, her eyes full of wonder and hesitation. Could she trust him?

Looking down into her beautiful blue eyes, Mark was captivated. He slowly leaned forward, gaining more courage when she didn't back away from him. When his lips were just inches from hers, he whispered ever so softly. "Don't be afraid." He then slowly captured her lips in a sensual kiss. It was slow and gentle. He wanted to devour her, but he forced himself to be calm.

Tyanna had never in her life been kissed like that. She never knew love or intimacy. Sex was a painful memory and not something she cherished. Every kiss Mark has given her has been full of passion. This kiss…this kiss was different. Soft, warm, and gentle. She was curious, but also terrified as she didn't know how to react to such a sensation. She relaxed against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt him lower her back down to rest her head on the pillow. He hovered over her as he continued to kiss her. "I should stop him," she thought to herself. "But I don't want to," she continued. She felt at war with herself. "What if he's only after sex?" she asked herself.

Mark couldn't believe how good she felt in his arms. He slid his tongue along her lips, begging to have access. Parting slightly as if they had a mind of their own, Mark's tongue took charge and left no crevice of her sensual mouth unsearched. He kissed his way along her jaw and down to her neck. Feeling Tyanna lean into him gave him that permission he was searching for. He reached her collarbone and then her shoulder. Holding himself up with one arm, he took his other arm and began to caress her hips and then very slowly, inching his hand upward. He reached the bottom of her shirt and slowly slipped his hand under it, feeling the softness of her skin beneath his callused hands. He was certainly enjoying how far he had been able to get so far. He moved to settle himself more comfortably as he began to kiss her mouth again.

This was a dream! It had to be. Tyanna had never felt the sensations she was feeling at this moment. Mark was so tender in his kisses and his hands were lighting her body on fire. She could feel his hand under her shirt and as much as she wanted to stop him, she couldn't. He had reached the lace of her bra, but it was as if it wasn't even there as he began to massage her breasts. That elicited a moan of pleasure from her as she wiggled beneath him.

Her eyes popped open at hearing Mark groan deeply. When she looked at him, she didn't see him. She saw Alex and his disgusting friends, moaning and groaning as they had their way with her. She began to panic a little, but Mark took notice. He stopped everything he was doing as he caressed her cheek.

He could tell that her demeanor had changed. Opening his eyes and seeing her fear, he made her focus on him. "Tyanna...I'm Mark. Don't think of this as a repeat of your experience. Give in to the intimacy I'm trying to let you experience," he whispered gruffly. In the back of his mind, his conscience screamed at him about how she had been raped and to take it easy. But then he reminded himself that it was ten years ago and he wasn't Alex and the others. Quieting that voice, he slowly captured her lips in yet another mind-blowing kiss. He didn't think he had spent so much time making a woman feel beautiful. But that's all he seemed to want to do with her, is make her feel special and beautiful. Not just a piece of meat.

Tyanna heard the desire that had covered Mark's voice, bringing out his thick Texan drawl. There was no way she would be able to deny that she loved to be kissed by him. His kisses made her head spin. As he kissed her neck, he hit a spot behind her ear that literally sent shivers up her spine. She gasped in surprise and Mark immediately asked her if he had hurt her. Looking into his emerald green eyes, she whispered, "no." Smiling, he slowly lowered his head and slowly kissed her. She was a little surprised when his head jerked up and he had a pained expression on his face. "Mark?" she asked.

Hearing the worry in her voice, he shook his head, "its okay. Just don't..." his words were cut short by a deep groan as she moved beneath him. "Tyanna, sweetheart, can you please stay still?" he asked through gritted teeth. Thinking she had angered him, she stayed as still as possible. Her body however was not listening to her head as it was if it moved involuntarily. "That's it!" Mark growled, rolling off of her and standing up. He immediately walked to his room and shut the door. Once inside, he took a deep breath and looked down. He was about to burst out of his pants and worse, he about came everywhere. He stripped down on his way to his bathroom. His erection was obviously happy to be free as his cock sprang forward. He sighed as he knew he would have to take care of that on his own. He figured that was probably a good thing because then he could better control himself around Tyanna. He glanced at his bedroom door and then shut the bathroom door. He grabbed the lotion off the counter and got to work. At first he began to stroke himself slowly. He groaned as it had been awhile. His excessive drinking had put his sex drive on the back burner. He then thought of Tyanna, lying underneath him, her smooth legs wrapped around him. He pumped his hand faster as he tried to be quiet in case she came looking for him. "Mmmm" he moaned, as he began to stroke himself faster and faster. His breathing became slightly labored as he could feel his release building. He quickly grabbed a towel just in time as he growled out his release. "Shit!" he said, as his cock spasmed. He quickly cleaned up, threw on some boxers and decided to go check on Tyanna. He felt bad at just leaving her like that.

She stood there for a moment as he disappeared into his bedroom across the hall. "What did she do?" She had to admit that she had no idea what to do when it came to sex or anything close to it and she was a little apprehensive. She couldn't worry herself. She had come so far and though she didn't like that her walls were a pile of dust at her feet, she felt better at being able to tell Mark her story. She had just gotten her nightgown on when Mark appeared in her doorway.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing there. Her nightgown left very little to the imagination. Her breasts were perfect and he could see her erect nipples caused from the cool breeze coming in from the window. The silky green shown in the moonlight and he groaned inwardly at how short it was and how he could make very short work of it. He thought that jacking off in the bathroom might help, but he felt himself harden at the sight of her. He didn't want to scare her, but he found himself stalking toward her. She gasped as he wrapped her in his strong arms and kissed her senseless. He slowly backed her to the wall as he began to run his hands down her arms. He reached around and squeezed her ass and then reached the hem of her nightgown and began to run his hand underneath it. Feeling her bare breast beneath his hand he groaned again. "Mmmm, I want you Ty!" he said, his voice deep and husky.

Feeling his hand on her bare breast was a sensation unlike any other. She found herself pressing further into his hand. Hearing him confess that he wanted her actually scared her. But it excited her as well. She gasped as her eyes popped open when she felt his erection against her stomach. She looked at him in disbelief and he smirked. He lifted her up and held her against the wall as she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. She could feel his erection pressing against her center, begging for entry. This was too fast. She couldn't do this now. Gasping in pleasure as Mark kissed her neck and completely utilizing his newfound knowledge of her sweet spot behind her ear. "M...Mar...Mark!" she moaned as he pressed himself against her, fully making her aware of just how badly he wanted her. "Too...fast...we...oohhhh!" she sighed as he pressed himself against her again. She had to put a stop to this before it got out of hand. She unwrapped her legs from his waist, and began to gently push against his shoulders.

Reluctantly, Mark set her on her feet. They were both breathing heavily as desire coursed through their veins. He touched his forehead to hers as he looked into her eyes. He gently took her hand placed it on his cock. She tried to pull away, but he held her hand in place. She could feel it pulsating beneath her hand. She looked up at him. "Do you see...how badly...I want you!" he said gruffly. Not having any clue as to why or how, but her hand instinctively squeezed him. It was a gentle, almost barely noticeable movement, but Mark felt it as if she had used all of her strength. He sucked in a breath and shut his eyes tightly. "I swear Ty, if you do that again, I will cum all over the place," he gritted out, but at the same time pressed himself into her hand. Realizing that he was holding her hand against him, he let go. He sighed with pleasure when she didn't immediately pull her hand away. He stood completely still, afraid to move.

Tyanna was so curious. Her mind screamed at her. "_What the hell are you doing?"_ But then her body screamed, _"ten years! And he's so gentle!"_ She timidly began to run her hand against his rock hard erection. Mark grabbed her hand and she immediately thought that she had done wrong.

"I'm serious Tyanna. If you keep doing that, I will explode!" he said, his eyes closed. She didn't know a lot about sex. She had her horrible experience with Alex and his goons. Then there was Kevin, who she was never able to get close to because of her fear that stemmed from Alex. But Mark...Mark made her feel safe and confident in her actions. She was surprised as hell at how fast things were going. She liked the sensations that he made her feel and she found herself wanting to learn more. She wanted to get past this fear of hers.

"Mark?" she asked. She looked up to find him staring at her, waiting for her to continue. "Will...will you...ummm...will you teach me?" she whispered.

Mark closed his eyes. Of all the time to have doubts, now was not the time. He took a deep breath and said, "if you want me to." At seeing Tyanna nod, he gently pushed her away from him. Then he dropped his boxers and his cock sprang to life. He watched as Tyanna's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth dropped open. She looked up at him and he smirked. He knew he was big and he had never had any complaints. But he had never stood there and had a woman stare at him either, so he was beginning to get a little self conscious.

Tyanna stepped forward and hesitantly reached out her hand. Her hand shook as she wrapped her fingers around him. She felt him jump when she touched him. "Mark? Does it hurt?" she asked. "It's beginning to," he said through gritted teeth. "Do you want me to stop?" she asked.

He nodded his head yes, but heard himself say, "no."

Feeling brave, she gently squeezed. She found wonderment when she heard him suck in sharp breath. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, but whatever she was doing, was causing a reaction. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Mark," she said shyly. She felt him grab her hand and guide it along his shaft. It was her turn to gasp as she had no idea men and woman did stuff like this.

"Mmmm" she heard him moan.

"Does...does that feel good Mark?" she asked, completely perplexed as to how.

"Oh yeah!" he moaned. He then quickly pulled her hand away from him.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" she asked, worried.

Mark held up a hand, trying to catch his breath. "Ya didn't do anythin' darlin'. But if I don't stop ya, my cock is going to explode. And ya don't want that?" he explained.

"I don't?"she asked. Mark shook his head no. "I'm so confused Mark. I've never done anything like this before. I feel embarrassed," she confessed.

"Don't feel embarrassed," he said. "It's completely natural. Ya want me to teach ya? I will. But it just may take a couple times...or three...or four. That's beside the point. It's not gonna happen all in one night is what I'm tryin' to say," he said.

Tyanna smiled. This is why she felt safe with him. She moved closer to him and leaned up to kiss him. The kiss deepened when Tyanna voluntarily opened her mouth to invite his tongue inside to dance with hers.

Mark picked her up and laid her on the bed and laid on top of her. He pushed her nightgown up to expose her breasts. She tried to cover herself, but he gently moved her hands to her sides. He then lowered his head and took a nipple into his mouth. He heard her gasp and he smiled inwardly. He sucked and swirled his tongue around it, teasing it until it became as rock hard as his cock. He then gave the same treatment to the other one. He then snaked his hand down to that special place between her legs. He could feel the heat as he knew she was aroused. He slowly slid her panties down and then ran his hand up her smooth legs. He flicked at her vagina quickly. One little flick and Tyanna gasped in surprise. "Mark?" she asked, a little afraid.

"Shhh...don't worry. I won't hurt ya," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. He rubbed his fingers against her, trying to prep her a little bit. Feeling how wet she was, he slipped one finger inside. If he hadn't been laying on top of her, she would've hit the ceiling. She whimpered, part in fear and part in pleasure. "It's okay," he said, reassuring her. This was the hardest part for her. The only person that had ever been inside her was Alex and his cohorts and that was not a pleasurable experience at all.

Mark began to slowly move his finger in and out, mirroring the movement with his tongue in her mouth. Hearing her moan in his mouth, he added another finger. She tore her mouth away from his as she was beginning to become afraid. "I'm not sure I like this anymore," she exclaimed. Mark knew what was happening because as she said that, she was pressing herself against his hand. He knew she was about to cum and if he had to guess, he'd bet she had never had an orgasm in her life.

"I want to stop now!" she said fearfully. "Mark stop!" she said, trying to push him away.

Mark sighed as he dropped his head and rolled off of her. He pulled his boxers on and sat on the side of the bed as Tyanna quickly covered herself. She looked over at him as he ran his hand over his face. She lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry Mark."

Sighing again, he looked over at her. "Ya don't gotta be sorry darlin'. I told ya it may take a few times," he said. When she didn't respond, he took hold of her hands and she looked up at him. "I can't imagine what you went through. The thought of what they did makes my blood boil. But sex isn't like that. It can be so much more and at some point you should be able to experience that. But maybe now just isn't that time," he explained.

Tyanna was somewhat speechless, but she felt the tears brimming. The amount of understanding that he was showing her was overwhelming. She stood up to stand in front of him, still holding his hands. "Thank you Mark! Your understanding means so much to me. I don't know if I will ever be ready to…you know. I blamed you for so long, thinking you knew about what they had done. Knowing otherwise and knowing that you care is enough for now," she confessed. She then leaned forward to give him a sweet kiss as a thank you.

The quick kiss that she had intended to give him lasted longer than she has expected. In a split second, it went from completely innocent to full of passion and desire. It was as if her body was in a trance as she didn't protest at all when Mark pulled her closer to sit on his lap.

Mark couldn't help himself. It was if he just couldn't get enough of her. He took the first opportunity to deepen the kiss the very second that her lips touched his. His hands immediately went to her hips as he pulled her to sit on his lap. She was sitting as a child would sit on one knee and Mark scooped her up in one quick motion and positioned her so that she was straddling him.

It happened so fast that Tyanna wasn't sure what exactly had just happened, but she didn't argue. She couldn't argue with Mark capturing her mouth with his. She could feel his erection under her and as if on cue, she rocked against him. She felt Mark grip her hips tightly as he broke the kiss. She looked down at him and couldn't help but feel excited at how in control she seemed to be at the moment. She rocked her hips again, even with Mark holding her tightly. She couldn't help but grin when she heard him groan.

Trying to calm himself, Mark looked up at her and could see the sparkle in her eyes. "If you're not careful Tyanna, I can't be responsible for what happens in this bedroom tonight!" he warned. His tone was stern and he was gripping her hips almost painfully. He didn't want to scare her, but he didn't want her to start another round of this when he knew she wasn't ready. He closed his eyes and held completely still for at least a minute or two. And then she spoke, breaking the silence.

"Mark? Is there such a thing as sex with your clothes on?" she asked. Looking out the window above his head. Her expression said that she was pondering something.

Having a feeling as to why she was asking, he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer or not. After only a minute or so, he closed his eyes and said, "yes." His tone gave the impression that he was not happy. But his erection said otherwise.

Smiling, Tyanna looked down at him and lifted his face to hers. She kissed him and then said, "so if I did this…" and she rocked against him causing him to groan, "…would that be considered sex?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath, Mark answered with "somewhat" through gritted teeth.

Kissing him again, she rocked against him, this time a little more forcefully. She couldn't figure out how it still felt good with your clothes on. But she had to admit that her body was starting to tingle all over with excitement.

Mark grabbed her hips hard this time to still her movements. It actually startled her. He looked at her and she inwardly cringed at the look on his face. Maybe she had gone too far this time.

"Tyanna! I'm gonna say this one more time…" he was cut off by a slow sweet kiss. When he looked into her eyes, he lost all train of thought as he could see how much she wanted to do this. He knew she was curious. But he also knew that she wasn't ready. But then that voice spoke up. _"It's not intercourse. Both of you are fully clothed."_ That seemed justification enough as he gripped her hips and jerked her against him roughly.

Gasping in shock, she started down at him and saw him smirk. He then leaned forward and began to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes, gripped his shoulders and began to slowly rock against him. It was if she had no control of her movements. She moaned once and that seemed to cause Mark's erection to grow even more. She didn't think it was possible. Without even thinking, she ground her hips in a circle and Mark couldn't contain the deep growl that emitted from his throat. Tyanna didn't know why, but that made her want to do it again. So she did and he made the same sound. By this point, he had buried his face in her neck and was gripping her hips so tightly, she was sure she would have marks.

"Damn!" Mark growled. He had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her by the hips, and began to move her back and forth on him. He needed to cum and he would be damned if he didn't get to after all this. He looked up at her to see her eyes closed and she was whimpering. That just made him want it more and felt her grip his shoulders tightly. He worked hard to hold back as he had a feeling that she was really close. He wanted to laugh as he knew that she had no idea that this was possible with clothes on. And if he was correct about her never experiencing an orgasm before, he would be damned if he didn't get her there. They stopped earlier as they were clearly naked and with her being so inexperienced, he knew it was scary for her. But this would be a good learning experience for her without her having to be naked. His suspicions of her being close were confirmed when her body involuntarily moved faster, yet at the same time she was trying to stop. "Not this time," Mark mumbled, grinding her hips down onto him. He growled, wishing that he could be inside of her. He closed his eyes as he struggled to hold it together as he heard Tyanna cry out in pleasure. Oh yeah, she was very close!

What the hell is happening? she thought to herself. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't. She didn't know what was happening, but it was starting to scare her a little bit. She felt it first in the pit of her stomach. Then it moved lower between her legs. She wanted to close her legs, but she couldn't has she was straddling Mark and he was rocking her against him. She wanted to push away from him, but found herself holding onto him. "Oh my god Mark! What's…happ…I can't," she couldn't form a sentence as she shut her eyes tightly. "Ooohhhh! Mmmmm!" she whimpered. She was trying so hard to stifle her sounds.

Mark moved her faster over him. He was determined to get her to cum. He could feel her start to shake, and then he felt her legs tighten against him and she cried out. He could hear the fear in her cries of pleasure as she came apart. He then let himself go and he literally became breathless as he had worked so hard to hold back until she had gotten her release.

As they both tried to catch their breath, Tyanna couldn't let go of Mark. She was clinging to him so tightly that he had to pry her arms from around his neck. He caressed the side of her face and coaxed her to open her eyes. He felt her relax as he smiled at her. He saw her blush and he swallowed and then asked, "Are ya alright?" He searched her eyes and then relaxed when he saw her nod. "Are ya sure?" he asked, sensing that something was wrong. Then it dawned on him. He had momentarily forgotten that this was basically her first time. "Everything went the way it was supposed to," he said. He chuckled when the look of disbelief appeared on her face. He nodded as reassurance.

Blushing again, Tyanna couldn't meet his eyes. "Was…was I supposed…I didn't mean…" her rambling was silenced by a soft kiss.

"Listen to me," he began. "Ya did everything right. All the noises and cries, they are all normal when experiencing such pleasure. And orgasms are usually what the goal is," he explained, kissing her again.

"Is that what that was? I couldn't stop it, even though I wanted to," she said.

He shook his head as he chuckled. "You're not supposed to stop it. The goal is to reach orgasm. Aren't ya glad you weren't able to stop it?" he asked. Hearing her giggle and seeing her blush yet again, he had his answer. "Well…we should get cleaned up," he said.

Tyanna looked at him confused. He leaned forward and whispered, "I'm sure you could use a clean pair of panties." Seeing her nod, he gently lifted her off of him and she couldn't help but be amazed at how wet his shorts were. It was if he had gone swimming. He smirked again, kissed the top of her head and then went to his room. She watched him disappear into his room before she went into her bathroom to clean up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Tyanna couldn't remember when she had gotten in bed, but that's exactly where she was when she woke up the next morning. She buried her face in her pillow as the events of last night came flooding back. She couldn't believe what she had done. How embarrassing. She couldn't help but feel good though as she remembered Mark's actions and obvious enjoyment. She threw the covers back and got out of bed. Grabbing her robe, she went and brushed her teeth and then made her way downstairs. She made her way toward the kitchen, intending on getting a cup of coffee, but she stopped in her tracks as she saw Mark. His back was to her, so she stood quietly as she watched him. He was wearing worn jeans, a white wife beater shirt and his hair was pulled back in a braid with his signature bandana. He was whistling as he was cooking what smelled to her like a wonderful breakfast. She cleared her throat as she walked in, not wanting him to be startled when he turned around.

Turning at the sound, he smiled at the sight of her. He stepped away from the stove and pulled her to him. "Mornin' darlin'," he greeted. He couldn't help but chuckle when Tyanna wouldn't meet his gaze and he could see her blush. He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his. He then leaned down and softly kissed her. He should've known that was a mistake because the minute their lips touched, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Tyanna welcomed his passionate kiss. Before she knew what had happened, her robe had been untied and it fell to the floor. She felt Mark bunch her nightgown in his hands as he ran his hands over her body. She was clinging to his shirt and then was startled when he pulled it over his head and off with lightening speed. She gasped when he picked her up and held her against him. She got confused when he turned and set her on the counter. She closed her eyes as he began to kiss her neck, hitting that spot behind her ear. She gasped and said, "Mark…Mark what about breakfast?" She shouldn't have been surprised when Mark immediately went to the stove, turned off all of the burners and then resumed his actions. She was starting to get a little embarrassed as it was broad daylight and they were in the kitchen.

Feeling her hesitation, Mark guided her hand to his jeans. He grinned when he felt her fingers flex over the very obvious bulge in his pants. "Ya see darlin', I want ya again!" he chuckled. He choked on his words when Tyanna took it upon herself to start massaging him through his jeans. He held back the growl that wanted to escape.

Tyanna couldn't figure out what had come over here. What she had figured out, was that as long as she touched him there, she had complete control over him. That was exciting to her. And his encouragement and the way he made her feel last night, brought to life a boldness that she didn't know she had. She grinned as she stopped and unbuttoned his pants. She almost laughed at the wide eyed look Mark gave her. "You want to do this Mark? Here, in the kitchen?" she asked, her voice low and seductive. She wasn't even aware that her tone had changed and she wasn't tryin' to be sexy. But it turned Mark on more than he already was. All he could do was nod.

When Tyanna got his pants undone, she reached inside and watched as Mark jumped when she grabbed him. She inched his pants down just below his hips so that his erection was free. She began to stroke him and he moaned in pleasure. "Mark?" she asked.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked, trying not to sound winded. But she was driving him crazy.

Tyanna didn't speak right away. Then as she slowly stroked him, she voiced what she was thinking. "I know that sometimes women…well they…umm…they put this in their mouths," she said.

Mark's eyes flew open and she was starting innocently back at him with her head tilted to the side. A big part of him wanted to pull her off the counter and put her on her knees in front of him. But he suppressed that side and swallowed hard before answering. "Well…uhhh…yeah, they do…if they…if they want to." He couldn't believe how much trouble he was having with this. "But I don't expect ya to do that," he ended on a growl as she had gripped him firmly.

With her newfound boldness and a need that she couldn't understand, she leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "I want to try it. Will you teach me?"

Once again, she didn't understand how seductive she sounded and Mark had to control himself. He growled again as he scooped her off the counter and set her on her feet. He looked into her eyes as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He then gently pushed her down until she was on her knees in front of him. She looked up at him as if waiting for instruction. Mark swallowed again and then said, "Just don't bite!" was all he could say as his voice quivered a little bit. He wasn't sure if that was because he was overly excited or a little bit nervous.

Trying to remember what she had read about, she slowly opened her mouth and took the tip of him in. When Mark sucked in a sharp breath, she gained more courage as she took more of him into her mouth. She could see him ball his hands into fists as his side. She felt awkward, but she tried her best. She forced herself not to gag and remembered something about relaxing the back of her throat. When she did, she was surprised at how much of him she could get in there. Mark was surprised too as he gaped at her, trying hard not to move. He didn't want to choke her. He closed his eyes when he she moved back on his shaft. She then took him in her mouth again, adding a little bit of suction. She was trying to see the article in her mind. Though she couldn't remember it word for word, she remembered little tid bits. She looked up at Mark as that elicited a sound she hadn't heard him make yet. She took one hand and placed it at the base of his cock and what she couldn't fit in her mouth, she pumped with her hand.

Not being able to handle it anymore, Mark buried his fingers in her soft hair. She wasn't too worried, but then he grabbed a handful of hair and jerked her head back. She would've been terrified, but the look on his face told her that he was completely enjoying the pleasure that she was providing him. He began to pump his hips back and forth, forcing her to take more of him than she was ready for. But she went with it, gagging a couple of times. Moving her head back and forth for her, the sounds coming from him told her that he was really enjoying this. Then all of a sudden, he cried out and stilled his movements, holding her in place as he came like crazy in her mouth.

At first, Tyanna jumped in surprise. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now, but the saltiness of his cum was almost too much. She did the only thing she could think of, considering that his cock was still buried in her mouth, she swallowed. Mark caught his breath as his grip on her hair loosened. He looked down and snapped out of his pleasure filled stupor. "Oh my god, Ty! I'm so sorry, hang on," he exclaimed, running to grab a towel to help her clean up. Tyanna stood up as he came back with a towel. He began to wipe her mouth and her face. "I'm sorry I lost control like that!" he said.

Smiling, she said, "it's okay. It was interesting!"

"Well that won't ever happen again, okay. I won't lose control like that," he promised as he pulled his pants up and fastened them.

Moving to stand against him, she leaned up and whispered in his year, "it's okay. I kind of liked it!" She leaned back to look him in the eyes and marveled how his emerald eyes darkened with desire and she felt him become erect again. He smirked at her as he lifted her and sat her on the counter again. "What are you doing?" she asked.

In a deep, husky voice, all he said was "turn about is fair play!" He said. He then got down on his knees and wrapped her legs around his head. She whimpered when he tore her panties and threw them on the floor. He then snaked out his tongue and licked along her opening. Her hips bucked in surprise, but with one massive arm, he held her still. He began to rub her and kiss her and when he knew that she was wet and ready, he slipped one of his huge fingers inside her. Hearing her moan, he worked his finger in and out. Then he added another finger, making Tyanna squirm.

When Mark replaced his fingers with his tongue, her head fell back and clearly voiced her pleasure. She didn't think she would ever get used to the amazing things Mark was showing her. She tried to get closer to him, but Mark held her firm with his massive arm. Tyanna clutched at his arm as she could feel that same feeling she felt the night before. "Ooohhhh Mark!" she moaned. Her breathing began to labor and it seemed as if Mark's tongue was matching her erratic breathing. Before she knew what was happening, her legs instinctively tightened around Mark's head as she came.

Mark drank every drop as he couldn't remember the last time he tasted a woman that sweet. He stood up and got a clear view of her wet pussy as her legs still sat on his shoulders. He wanted to bury his cock so deep inside her. The straps on her nightgown had fallen down off her shoulders and he couldn't stop himself. He felt his manhood spring to life again at the sight of her half way naked and breathing heavily and he yanked her nightgown down to expose her breasts. He lowered his head as he began to feast first on her left breast and then on her right. Hearing her moan made him ache inside his pants.

With her legs still resting on his shoulders, he quickly unfastened his jeans and pulled them down just far enough to free his throbbing penis. He was about to plunge inside of her when the phone rang, kind of bringing him back to reality. The tip of his cock has just barely touched her entrance when he stopped. He kissed Tyanna passionately and she instinctively arched up toward him. Feeling her being pressed against him like that, with nothing separating them, his body stiffened. He was about ready to dive into her with wild abandon and she wasn't ready. Thank goodness for the phone. Sighing and dropping his head to hers, he breathlessly said, "we can't!" He then slowly set her legs down, pulled his pants up and fastened them. He turned to walk away as Tyanna quickly pulled her nightgown back up.

She sat there on the counter for what seemed like forever, but was really only a few seconds. She slowly removed herself from the counter, picked her robe up off the floor and went upstairs to her bedroom to get dressed and think. What the hell had just happened? She quickly washed and dressed and went back downstairs. She sat quietly on the couch and cringed in embarrassment when Mark appeared back in the living room. He stood there, not sure what to say. He finally cleared his throat as he looked toward the kitchen. "Ya wanna…uhhh…go out to breakfast?" Tyanna nodded but didn't look at him. He grabbed his keys and held the door for her. She walked out without even glancing at him. He sighed as they got in the car and made their way to breakfast.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The silence during breakfast was deafening. Mark tried to make small talk, but he only got one word answers out of her. Finally he had to ask her if she was okay.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?" she replied.

Right away, Mark detected the difference. She had that cool tone that she had when she first started working with him.

"Well…ya haven't really engaged in a conversation with me since earlier this mornin' and ya seem a little upset," he said.

"I'm not upset. Why would I be upset? Are you talking about how you took advantage of me at the house and then dismissed me?" she asked.

Mark immediately sat back and held his hands up. "Whoa! Took advantage of ya? I did not take advantage of ya darlin'," he said, almost frantically. He didn't know what was going through her head, but he wasn't sure if he should be worried or not.

Tyanna just scoffed and continued to eat her breakfast. When the waitress came over, she asked her to split the check and Tyanna paid for her own food, much to Mark's surprise. He followed her out of the restaurant when she got up to leave.

When they got back to his house, Mark let loose. "What the hell was that all about back there?" he asked.

"What? I can't pay for my own breakfast?" she asked.

Mark laughed. "That's not the point Tyanna. The point is, you are pissed off about something and I'm not sure exactly what it is," he replied.

"Upsest? Why would I be upset? I told you a very hurtful story and then you went and took advantage of me! But I'm not upset!" she said, raising her voice.

Walking toward her, Mark had her pinned to the wall. "Now listen here little girl! I have done no such thing. Yeah, ya told me what happened. And I meant what I said about how I felt about it. But I in no way took advantage of ya. Every time ya asked me to stop, I did. Ya asked me to teach ya and I obliged. So don't go sayin' that I took advantage of ya. Because that's bullshit and ya know it!" he said, his voice low but dead serious!

Regaining her composure, Tyanna stiffened and looked him in the eye. "Whatever ya wanna call it Mark! But I think this vacation is over!" she said. She then slid out from between him and the wall and made her way upstairs.

Hearing her door slam, Mark sighed and rubbed his face. He then realized she was right. They needed to get back to work. He went up to pack his stuff. They would leave first thing in the morning.

In the midst of all of the stuff that had happened between Mark and Tyanna, Tyanna managed to write a great article for Vince. He was pleased with her work and told her to just enjoy the show that night. So that's exactly what she tried to do.

"What did you do Mark?" Glenn asked as they watched Tyanna talk with another diva.

"I didn't do anything Glenn! She's tryin' to say that I took advantage of her!" Mark exclaimed.

"Did you?" Glenn asked, eyeing Mark.

"C'mon man! Get serious! Ya know I would never do that. I love beautiful women and sex as much as the next guy. But I would never force myself on any woman!" he said, disbelief in his voice.

Glenn slapped Mark on the back. "I had to ask. Listen, maybe she just needed to get back to work and is tryin' to get back into the swing of things." He suggested.

"Everything was completely consensual Glenn!" Mark said.

Nodding in reassurance, Glenn smiled at his friend. "I know Mark! I know!" He then walked away to prepare for his match. Mark stood there and continued to watch Tyanna. She was laughing and talking with one of the divas as if he didn't exist. He shook his head as he walked off toward his dressing room.

"I'm sorry!" Tyanna exclaimed, looking up to see who she had run into. "No problem! Ya alright?" the person asked. Tyanna looked up to see John Cena smiling back at her. She smiled in response and moved out of his way. She began to continue on her way when John spoke.

"Hey Tyanna!" he called, making his way toward her. "If you're not doin' anything after the show, why don't ya have some dinner with me," he smiled.

Hesitation filled her entire body and she was about to say no. But then she saw Mark out of the corner of her eye. She was hurt by his actions at the house. She would never admit that though. She figured if Mark didn't want her, then she was going to take advantage of the fact that someone else just might. So she smiled, said "I would love to" and then turned and continued on her way.

Mark watched the exchange and saw the look of joy on John's face. He shook his head and made his way to the gorilla position to catch Glenn after his match.

"I don't know why you're so upset Mark," Glenn exclaimed.

"Because he's all wrong for her! She's not ready for that!" he said, pacing.

"How do you know what she's ready for?" Glenn asked.

Mark hesitated. I can't tell ya that! Sorry!" Mark mumbled.

Glenn eyed his best friend. "Mark! We've known each other for years. We're best friends and are practically like brothers. Seen each other through ups and downs. And you're tellin' me that you can't tell me somethin'?" Glenn pushed.

"I promised her that I wouldn't say anything," he said, dropping to sit on the couch in Glenn's dressing room. Glenn nodded in understanding. He knew that Mark was good on his word and would never break a promise. Glenn also knew that seeing Tyanna walk out with John Cena after his match really bothered Mark. He was almost sure he knew why too.


End file.
